1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data protection system for protecting data by preventing from use of data without permission in case of utilizing the data required for allowance for the use, i.e., the data the use of which is forbidden without permission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Use without permission of data such as program data, and graphics-drawing data which was originally prepared by a user in a computer or the like, respectively, that is, the use by a third party of such data which must be essentially protected by copyright constitutes a social problem. With the development of advanced information network system, increase in such frequent use of data without permission is apprehended. A manner for utilizing a database is not only referred to the contents thereof, but also the acquired data is effectively utilized usually by storing, copying and working the same. Besides, it is also possible to transfer the data after having been worked to others via a communication line. Under the circumstances, it is an important problem to prevent from the use without permission of data which has been made as a database by what kind of manner.
Recently, a novel distribution system for distributing such data required for allowance for the use thereof is attracted because of the purpose thereof in preventing from the use without permission of the data. This distribution system is such system wherein data required for allowance for the use is widely distributed for easy availability by users, and a required charge is paid in response to the amount utilized by a user at the time when the acquired data is used by the user in reality, not but the time when the data is acquired by the user.
In the meantime, the OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) technique proposed by Microsoft Corporation and the like technique have been known as a manner for displaying the data prepared by other programs than a program wherein data linking procedure is adopted in accordance with the latter program. However, such OLE technique is essentially for the use of the data prepared by a user over different programs, but not the technique for the purpose of preventing use without permission of data. As a result, cut and paste processing is usually conducted with respect to data in such OLE technique. Since such cut and paste processing is the one being conflict with the prevention of use of data without permission, it is systematically impossible to forbid the use of data without permission by utilizing OLE technique.
On one hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 8-185448 (1996) has proposed such system wherein it is permitted to apply user""s working to data required for allowance for the use thereof while protecting the data by copyright. In this system, the data supplied to each user from the database is distributed in the form of encrypted data, and the encrypted data is decoded by each user with the use of the decoding key acquired from a center in case of serving the data for user""s utilization. Furthermore, this system adopts such a manner that when each user restores the data, encipherment is performed by a different key from the decoding key for the original data irrespective of the fact whether the data has been worked or not.
According to this system, there is such a fear that the data is stored without encipherment in the case when the data required for allowance for the use is restored by a user. Furthermore, the decoding key required at the time of restoring data is supplied from the reliable center, and such key must be different in all the users, so that there is such a problem that the preparation and control for keys in the center become complicated. Besides, when work processing of data is made several times, the processing for the decoding/encryption with use of decoding key at the time of restoring the data is necessary for the number of times corresponding to the number of times in the work processing. In this respect, this conventional system restricts such number of times to a certain number or less. However, there is also such a problem that when the number of times in work processing exceeds the restricted number of times, the user must again inform the center of that effect. In addition, it is impossible to discriminate that a questioned data is the one which has been worked by a user or the original data which has not yet been worked at the time of storing the data, so that it is supposed that the charge for the utilization of such data the use without permission of which is forbidden cannot be collected.
An object of the present invention is to provide a data protection system and a data preparation device by which data required for allowance for the use can be utilized in the data prepared by a user himself (or herself) in the above-mentioned novel distribution system while preventing from the use without permission of the former data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a data protection system and a data preparation device by which it is possible to prevent from the illegal utilization of data required for allowance for the use due to the cut and paste processing of the data.
A further object of the invention is to provide a data protection system and a data working device which are adapted in such that only the data of work information indicating what kind of working has been made on data required for allowance for the use after such original data was worked by a user is stored, whereby the use without permission of the original data can be prevented by a mechanism which functions at the time when work processing is applied to the data required for allowance for the use by a user.
A yet further object of the invention is to provide a data protection system wherein such data of work information indicating what kind of working has been made upon the original data or such worked data obtained by a user as a result of working data required for allowance for the use by the user himself (herself) may be allowed to distribute as novel data required for allowance for the use and the use without permission of which is forbidden.
In the data protection system according to the present invention, when such data required for allowance for the use is utilized in the data prepared by a user himself (herself) without accompanying any working, information relating to the data required for allowance for the use (link information) is incorporated in the data to be prepared by the user to display the same, and on the other hand, it is adapted in, such that the cut and paste function with respect to the data required for allowance for the use cannot be utilized, and a function for restoring the data required for allowance for the use cannot be performed. As described above, when the cut and paste function with respect to the data required for allowance for the use is forbidden and the data required for allowance for the use is allowed to be displayed by the use of the link information of the data, it becomes possible to embed the data required for allowance for the use in the data prepared by the user himself (herself) while preventing from the use without permission of the former data.
In the data protection system according to the present invention, it is arranged in such that when such data required for allowance for the use is worked, only an exclusive work processing unit can be utilized, while the data of work information indicating what kind of working has been made by a user himself (herself) such as differential data obtained from the original data required for allowance for the use and the data worked by the user can be stored in the case when the data worked in the exclusive work processing unit is stored in a storage medium, but either of the original data required for allowance for the use and the data after having been worked by the user cannot be stored as it stands. As described above, when the data protection system is arranged in such that work processing is conducted in the exclusive work processing unit, and only the resulting data of work information is stored, the data of work information prepared by a user himself (herself) can be utilized without any restriction, but the original data required for allowance for the use can be merely used with a certain restriction, whereby the use without permission of the original data can be prevented.
When the data of work information once stored is read and the data of work information thus read is added to the original data required for allowance for the use, it is possible to redisplay the data at the time of the preceding working. Furthermore, if the data protection system has been arranged in such that when the data of work information is stored, such information for specifying the original data required for allowance for the use being corresponding to this data of work information is added thereto and the resulting information is also stored at that time, it becomes possible to redisplay the data at the time of the preceding working by only specifying the data of work information. Moreover, it is also possible to make this data of work information distributive as such data required for allowance for the use by the center and the use without permission of which is forbidden. Alternately, it is also possible that such data after having been worked as it stands can be stored in the center, and that the data after having been worked as it stands is allowed to distribute as data required for allowance for the use and the use without permission of which is forbidden by the center by utilizing the original data required for allowance for the use and one of the work information.
Meanwhile, when such data required for allowance for the use is utilized, the data protection system is arranged in such that it is checked whether or not there is a license for the utilization, and the image of the data can be displayed in only the case where there is the license, while the utilization is forbidden in the case where there is no license. Furthermore, the system is adapted in such that when a user""s balance is used for such license, the payment for charge can be assured in response to the amount used for data required for allowance for the use thereof.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings.